The eighth Earth observation satellite of the American Lansat mission, which has been monitoring the Earth's surface for 40 years and provides many of the images of Google Earth and Google Maps, is now in orbit.
"Landsat-8 is a critical asset," said Dr. Tim Irons, a member of the Landsat mission, which is jointly managed by NASA and the US Geological Survey (USGS).
"Land uses are changing today at rates unprecedented in human history due to population growth, technological progress and climate change. In order to adapt to these changes and make the right decisions about what we do on the surface of the planet, we need the information that this series of satellites offers us," he pointed out.
Landsat-8 transmits images of the Earth's surface in the visible and infrared parts of the spectrum, with a resolution of 15 to 100 meters, and also carries a thermal radiation sensor that monitors the leakage of energy from the Earth into Space.
However, it will take about three months for the satellite to reach its final orbit, at an altitude of 700 kilometers, and become fully operational.
Meanwhile, Landsat-7 continues to operate, with fuel estimated to last until 2016.
Landsat-7 suffered a failure in 2007 when one of the rotating mirrors that send light to the satellite's sensors broke. In Landsat-8, the rotating mirrors have been eliminated thanks to the use of a larger number of sensors, which have no moving parts.
The new satellite was launched on Monday evening Greek time with an Atlas rocket at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.
